Staying Safe in a Wired World
Dear BSG Parents,
The Beacon Street Girls' fun and friendship-oriented books and website model appropriate behaviors without 'turning-off' our primary audience of preteen girls. The Beacon Street Girls books are written after extensive research and consultation with experts in girls, adolescence, children's issues and development.
The experts for our latest book, Just Kidding, include a long list of leading experts on bullying between girls, and the safe and healthy use of technology and the Internet. In today’s BSG parents newsletter, as part of our three-part series on the Internet, Internet safety and cyber-bullying, we hear from Rob Nickel, president, Kid Innovation Canada, a 14-year veteran of the Ontario Provincial Police and a former Detective Sergeant with the OPP's Child Pornography Section.
A series of mean emails and not-so-funny jokes in the latest Beacon Street Girls novel provides you with an opportunity for frank discussion with your daughter about online dangers. In Just Kidding, the Beacon Street Girls and their preteen readers learn about cyber-bullying, gossip, no-joke zones and how the Internet can spread rumors, spoil friendships and contribute to hurt feelings. You can buy Just Kidding online now or pick it up at your local book store.
Addie Swartz
CEO of B*tween Productions, Inc.
Staying Safe in a Wired World, by Rob Nickel
Protecting Our Children Online
For more than half my 14 year career with the Ontario Provincial Police, I worked undercover tracking bad guys who try to harm or lure away our children. Even with all the publicity today around cyber dangers, I am still amazed at how little most parents do to keep their children safe.
Many parents are intimidated by the Internet because they don’t know how it works, but that does not mean they should not do all they can to keep their children safe online. After all, just because we don’t know exactly how a car engine works does not mean we don’t put seatbelts on our children when they are in the car. Keep your kids buckled up on the Information Highway.
• Place the computer in a "public" part of the house. Not in a child's bedroom.
One of the most common mistakes parents make is putting the home computer in an area that cannot be monitored by an adult. So many parents tell me "I think my kids are doing things online they should not be because when I come into the room where the computer is they quickly change screens on the computer." My response is always "Why are they in a separate room?" As parents we may feel that children need privacy, but not on the Internet.
• Never let your children give out ANY identifying information. Predators thrive on this. Predators do their homework. They can use any small detail – the name of a town, the name of a school or the local football team – to find your child in real life. Why put this information on the Internet at all?
• Get to know the Internet and any services your child uses. Talk to your kids and let them teach you. People, especially children, love to show off their talents. Ask your kids to show you what they do online. Ask them to teach you what they know. You will be surprised how much they are willing to show you and you might learn something new. At the very least, you’ll be showing your child that you are interested in what they are doing.
• Never allow a child to arrange a face-to-face meeting with another computer user without parental permission and supervision. I am always a little shocked at how many kids have met someone in person they first met online, and THEIR PARENTS HAD NO IDEA ABOUT THE MEETING. When I survey children who have met people from the Internet, most said the person ended up not being who they said they were -- either much older or maybe if they said they were a young girl, they were really an adult male. This is disturbing, and as parents we need to make sure these meetings with strangers never take place unsupervised.
• Your child should never respond to any messages or bulletin board items that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, threatening, or make them feel uncomfortable. Cyber-bullying is the new way to intimidate. Not only can children get messages that are suggestive and obscene from online stalkers but they can also get threatening messages, e-mails or message board postings from schoolmates or so-called friends. Kids need to know that their parents are there when something makes them uncomfortable. If it is serious, parents should notify the proper authorities.
• Use safe browsing software that allows only child-approved sites.
Technology has brought us the Internet but it has also brought us some great applications to keep children protected online. For example, there are safe and fun online environments like the Beacon Street Girls' site www.beaconstreetgirls.com and there is software such as Kid Innovation’s Razzul, that provides a safe browsing environment for kids on the Internet. Visit www.kidinnovation.com for a free trial download.
Rob Nickel is a professional speaker who talks about Internet safety to educators, children and parenting groups around the world. For more information on Internet safety, downloadable browsing software, or to find out more about Rob Nickel go to www.cyber-safety.com
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